“If there was no American prison in Iraq, there would be no ISIS now. Bucca was a factory.
It made us all.”
2003 to 2011 marked a difficult, tumultuous time for both the United States and Iraq. Two years after a terrorist attack on US soil, the United States proceeded to invade Iraq. Fast forward eight years, and we can see that this particular region of the Middle East was further destabilized, their infrastructure virtually destroyed. What first began as a war on terror shifted to armed battles against insurgency organizations.
ISIS originally began as a small insurgent group. While the conflict was not against Islam, religion did play a partial role in their uprising. Following political disturbance within the Middle East, there was a fundamental shift in Islam that resulted in a radical reformation. This Islamic Reformation resulted in an increase in violence; one must remember, however, that violence is not solely subject to Islam. US citizens, which Christianity encompasses a significant portion of, cannot forget that Christianity has also resulted in many deaths over the years. Different individuals were desiring a purification within the Muslim community. ISIS, though small at the time, supported this vital idea.
As the US occupied Iraq, a variety of prison camps were established. These camps would later become home to many “potentially dangerous” individuals, in the US’ eyes. One camp of great significance was Camp Bucca, located around Umm Qasr, Iraq. Housing approximately 20,000 prisoners, Camp Bucca was namely one of the largest, harshest American prisons within Iraq. Within the confinement of the US-mandated prison, nine to twelve future ISIS leaders served their time. These leaders, eventually, came to know one another. Being sly, the members would often meet in secret, planning for life post-Bucca. While in prison, these individuals exchanged names, numbers, and addresses; in order to not get caught, they wrote these details on the insides of the boxers. One man even said, “It was the boxers. They helped us win.” After they were released from Camp Bucca, the men eventually tracked each other down and reconnected.
Camp Bucca provided a breeding ground for ISIS. Brought together based on their potential dangerousness, the ISIS members further bonded over their Sunni beliefs. It is no secret that the Sunnis and Shias, two sects of Islam, do not get along. With that being said, the US occupation only further angered the radical Sunnis. One source within the prison said, “There was reason for opening this war. It was not because they are Shia, but because the Shia were pushing for it. The American army was facilitating the takeover of Iraq and giving the country to them. They were in cooperation.”
Turn on a television anywhere, and many individuals suggest that the United States didn’t see ISIS coming; they appeared to be blindsided by the sudden uprising. Were they really, though? Think about it: during the occupation, we imprisoned a majority of future ISIS members, seemingly cooperated with one of their enemy groups, and even left behind a lot of our weapons after we ended our occupation. These weapons would later wind up in the hands of ISIS. Coincidence? I think not.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the United States birthed ISIS. While not a parent of the group, maybe we are a relative. If the United States had not occupied Iraq, our various prisons would not have surfaced, and we wouldn’t have imprisoned thousands of Iraqis. Not everyone who was imprisoned joined ISIS, however. One individual said, “There are others who are not ideologues. It got bigger than any of us. This can’t be stopped now. This is out of the control of any man.”
ISIS, which is growing rapidly both member-wise and financially, is currently a major threat—not only to Westerners, but Middle Easterners as well. ISIS is malicious, calculating, and…winning? ISIS has its own ideology, its own motives and desires, its own entity. The US recognizes this, but we must also recognize that they didn’t “just appear.” We didn’t necessarily create them, but the US’ actions definitely provided them with a catalyst. Like bacteria on a petri dish, we helped breed them. Our media tends to highlight their actions—imprisoning others, killing others, torturing others. They aren’t the first to do this. It is evident that they have a hatred so large, that it cannot be solely confined to the Sunni vs Shia conflict. ISIS hates Westerners, hates us.
You don’t just wake up one morning and decide to hate someone. However, if you wake up in a prison cell, guarded by foreigners, you just might.
Sierra C. McGinnis
For further information, click below:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-origins-of-isis-finding-the-birthplace-of-jihad/
http://www.hudson.org/research/10584-on-the-origin-of-isis
http://truthinmedia.com/truth-in-media-the-origin-of-isis/
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/27/the-islamic-reformation-and-the-dark-origin-of-isis
It made us all.”
2003 to 2011 marked a difficult, tumultuous time for both the United States and Iraq. Two years after a terrorist attack on US soil, the United States proceeded to invade Iraq. Fast forward eight years, and we can see that this particular region of the Middle East was further destabilized, their infrastructure virtually destroyed. What first began as a war on terror shifted to armed battles against insurgency organizations.
ISIS originally began as a small insurgent group. While the conflict was not against Islam, religion did play a partial role in their uprising. Following political disturbance within the Middle East, there was a fundamental shift in Islam that resulted in a radical reformation. This Islamic Reformation resulted in an increase in violence; one must remember, however, that violence is not solely subject to Islam. US citizens, which Christianity encompasses a significant portion of, cannot forget that Christianity has also resulted in many deaths over the years. Different individuals were desiring a purification within the Muslim community. ISIS, though small at the time, supported this vital idea.
As the US occupied Iraq, a variety of prison camps were established. These camps would later become home to many “potentially dangerous” individuals, in the US’ eyes. One camp of great significance was Camp Bucca, located around Umm Qasr, Iraq. Housing approximately 20,000 prisoners, Camp Bucca was namely one of the largest, harshest American prisons within Iraq. Within the confinement of the US-mandated prison, nine to twelve future ISIS leaders served their time. These leaders, eventually, came to know one another. Being sly, the members would often meet in secret, planning for life post-Bucca. While in prison, these individuals exchanged names, numbers, and addresses; in order to not get caught, they wrote these details on the insides of the boxers. One man even said, “It was the boxers. They helped us win.” After they were released from Camp Bucca, the men eventually tracked each other down and reconnected.
Camp Bucca provided a breeding ground for ISIS. Brought together based on their potential dangerousness, the ISIS members further bonded over their Sunni beliefs. It is no secret that the Sunnis and Shias, two sects of Islam, do not get along. With that being said, the US occupation only further angered the radical Sunnis. One source within the prison said, “There was reason for opening this war. It was not because they are Shia, but because the Shia were pushing for it. The American army was facilitating the takeover of Iraq and giving the country to them. They were in cooperation.”
Turn on a television anywhere, and many individuals suggest that the United States didn’t see ISIS coming; they appeared to be blindsided by the sudden uprising. Were they really, though? Think about it: during the occupation, we imprisoned a majority of future ISIS members, seemingly cooperated with one of their enemy groups, and even left behind a lot of our weapons after we ended our occupation. These weapons would later wind up in the hands of ISIS. Coincidence? I think not.
I wouldn’t go as far as to say that the United States birthed ISIS. While not a parent of the group, maybe we are a relative. If the United States had not occupied Iraq, our various prisons would not have surfaced, and we wouldn’t have imprisoned thousands of Iraqis. Not everyone who was imprisoned joined ISIS, however. One individual said, “There are others who are not ideologues. It got bigger than any of us. This can’t be stopped now. This is out of the control of any man.”
ISIS, which is growing rapidly both member-wise and financially, is currently a major threat—not only to Westerners, but Middle Easterners as well. ISIS is malicious, calculating, and…winning? ISIS has its own ideology, its own motives and desires, its own entity. The US recognizes this, but we must also recognize that they didn’t “just appear.” We didn’t necessarily create them, but the US’ actions definitely provided them with a catalyst. Like bacteria on a petri dish, we helped breed them. Our media tends to highlight their actions—imprisoning others, killing others, torturing others. They aren’t the first to do this. It is evident that they have a hatred so large, that it cannot be solely confined to the Sunni vs Shia conflict. ISIS hates Westerners, hates us.
You don’t just wake up one morning and decide to hate someone. However, if you wake up in a prison cell, guarded by foreigners, you just might.
Sierra C. McGinnis
For further information, click below:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-origins-of-isis-finding-the-birthplace-of-jihad/
http://www.hudson.org/research/10584-on-the-origin-of-isis
http://truthinmedia.com/truth-in-media-the-origin-of-isis/
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/03/27/the-islamic-reformation-and-the-dark-origin-of-isis